‘Traditional Authorities’ and Community Rights in Contemporary Mozambique: between Activism and Incorporation
Mozambique’s donor-inspired ongoing programme of ‘traditional authorities’ ‘(re-)integration’ carries considerable emancipatory potential for local communities in their relations with central political institutions and the globalized economy. By analysing ‘traditional authorities’’ specifically ela...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Portuguese |
| Published: |
Universidade Federal de Viçosa
2021-10-01
|
| Series: | REVES - Revista Relações Sociais |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://periodicos.ufv.br/reves/article/view/13280 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832095331261612032 |
|---|---|
| author | Giovanni Battista Martino |
| author_facet | Giovanni Battista Martino |
| author_sort | Giovanni Battista Martino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Mozambique’s donor-inspired ongoing programme of ‘traditional authorities’ ‘(re-)integration’ carries considerable emancipatory potential for local communities in their relations with central political institutions and the globalized economy. By analysing ‘traditional authorities’’ specifically elaborated discourse and highlighting their agency within the dynamics emerging from state institutions’ attempts at ‘incorporating’ them in the sense indicated by Zenker and Hoehne, that is, to deny them all political auton-omy, this article aims to clarify ‘traditional’ leaders’ role in defending their own com-munities’ interests and rights vis-à-vis the state, private enterprises, and development actors/donors. Close examination of empirical data collected during field research in Inhambane province provides convincing evidence of traditional authorities’ general inability to develop effective discursive strategies for the representation and defence of their communities’ interests and rights. By choosing to retreat within the domain of spirituality and to cede much of their statutory prerogatives to more dynamic and bet-ter resourced actors, ‘traditional authorities’ end up accepting their ‘incorporation’ into the institutional structure of the state as merely symbolic objects and sources of inter-nal as well as international legitimacy, thus obliterating their role as natural repre-sentatives of their communities.
|
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-716478ec583a44189730896800926377 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2595-4490 |
| language | Portuguese |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | Universidade Federal de Viçosa |
| record_format | Article |
| series | REVES - Revista Relações Sociais |
| spelling | doaj-art-716478ec583a441897308968009263772025-02-05T19:54:28ZporUniversidade Federal de ViçosaREVES - Revista Relações Sociais2595-44902021-10-014410.18540/revesvl4iss4pp13280-01-13e‘Traditional Authorities’ and Community Rights in Contemporary Mozambique: between Activism and IncorporationGiovanni Battista Martino0Università degli Studi di Trieste Mozambique’s donor-inspired ongoing programme of ‘traditional authorities’ ‘(re-)integration’ carries considerable emancipatory potential for local communities in their relations with central political institutions and the globalized economy. By analysing ‘traditional authorities’’ specifically elaborated discourse and highlighting their agency within the dynamics emerging from state institutions’ attempts at ‘incorporating’ them in the sense indicated by Zenker and Hoehne, that is, to deny them all political auton-omy, this article aims to clarify ‘traditional’ leaders’ role in defending their own com-munities’ interests and rights vis-à-vis the state, private enterprises, and development actors/donors. Close examination of empirical data collected during field research in Inhambane province provides convincing evidence of traditional authorities’ general inability to develop effective discursive strategies for the representation and defence of their communities’ interests and rights. By choosing to retreat within the domain of spirituality and to cede much of their statutory prerogatives to more dynamic and bet-ter resourced actors, ‘traditional authorities’ end up accepting their ‘incorporation’ into the institutional structure of the state as merely symbolic objects and sources of inter-nal as well as international legitimacy, thus obliterating their role as natural repre-sentatives of their communities. https://periodicos.ufv.br/reves/article/view/13280Traditional AuthoritiesAutoridades ComunitáriasGood GovernanceDemocratic DecentralizationMozambique |
| spellingShingle | Giovanni Battista Martino ‘Traditional Authorities’ and Community Rights in Contemporary Mozambique: between Activism and Incorporation REVES - Revista Relações Sociais Traditional Authorities Autoridades Comunitárias Good Governance Democratic Decentralization Mozambique |
| title | ‘Traditional Authorities’ and Community Rights in Contemporary Mozambique: between Activism and Incorporation |
| title_full | ‘Traditional Authorities’ and Community Rights in Contemporary Mozambique: between Activism and Incorporation |
| title_fullStr | ‘Traditional Authorities’ and Community Rights in Contemporary Mozambique: between Activism and Incorporation |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘Traditional Authorities’ and Community Rights in Contemporary Mozambique: between Activism and Incorporation |
| title_short | ‘Traditional Authorities’ and Community Rights in Contemporary Mozambique: between Activism and Incorporation |
| title_sort | traditional authorities and community rights in contemporary mozambique between activism and incorporation |
| topic | Traditional Authorities Autoridades Comunitárias Good Governance Democratic Decentralization Mozambique |
| url | https://periodicos.ufv.br/reves/article/view/13280 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT giovannibattistamartino traditionalauthoritiesandcommunityrightsincontemporarymozambiquebetweenactivismandincorporation |